SECU Hospice House Gets A Makeover

William Strickland of Selma is the artist and interior decorator behind the interior refreshing at the SECU Hospice House.

With help from a local artist, SECU Hospice House gets a makeover

For the past few months at the SECU Hospice House, an artist has been at work.

To the walls and ceilings of the building, William Strickland of Selma has added pattern and texture that delight and make you look twice.

Are those real wood planks above the fireplace? Could those stripes in the dining room be wallpaper? Is that wall behind the nurses station made of natural stone?

Strickland, who has been painting for nearly 30 years, says he pulled tricks from his interior-decorating bag to soften and brighten the environment, and to draw attention to architectural features such as the trey ceilings in the lobby, dining room and hallways. The spaces now have bold, modern light fixtures that command attention.

“Medical settings have a lot of hard surfaces such as plastic, Formica, stainless steel,” he says. “To give the space a residential feel, we used a few decorating tricks to counter things we couldn’t change.”

A committee of staff, volunteers and members of the Johnston Health Foundation board of directors selected Strickland for the makeover, and helped define the scope of work. It’s the first interior refreshing since the hospice house opened in June, 2010.

The project was paid for with funds from the hospice house capital campaign.

Wanda Johnson, coordinator of hospice volunteers, says the staff, patients and visitors love and appreciate the new look, which includes colorful furnishings in the front lobby and family room, and two large dining-room tables that accommodate families.

Light fixtures, color help draw attention to the trey ceiling in the dining room.

Original, local artwork has been added to the common areas, and ceiling fans in patient rooms.

Johnson says Strickland’s painting was a pleasant diversion for families and patients. “They enjoyed watching his progress and liked asking him about his craft,” she says. “He has a way, too, of connecting with people. I’m trying to recruit him as a volunteer.”

For his part, Strickland says he learned how hospice works and enjoyed talking with the staff. “I could feel the compassion that nurses, volunteers and housekeepers have for patients and families,” he says. “It’s a different place because of that. It was an honor to do the project.”

Strickland says his goal was to make the hospice house pretty.

“The hospice house is a place for the living,” he adds. “Patients still need joy in their lives, whether it’s gazing out on a sunny day, having family come by, or appreciating the colors in a beautiful work of art.”